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I lived in Royal Oaks from 1965 to 1968, Jr. High & High School. My father was stationed at Torrejon for 3 years. I have to agree, it was a great place to live. Even today I think fondly back on those times.
My name is John Tice and I was there in 68 to 72. Played on the little league team (Rebels), and our football team won the champs. My best friends were Keith and Cedrick Nelson. I remember Mrs Perez, Mr Snyder, Mr Vayhar (sp) and his son Paul. I have a ton of fond memories of Spain and how different it is from the states.
Would love to k.i.t. with anyone who might remember me.
Hey, folks.....just discovered this site and decided to join. What a trip reading these posts...think I'm getting a little misty-eyed. My dad took a 5 year assignment in the embassy from 7/62-7/67 and those 5 years remain to this day as some of the most unique and prominent in my memory, especially in such formative years. I did 3rd and 4th in Generalissimo Elementary...anybody remember Ms. Wilkey with all that red hair braided around her head? And at the end of the year she finally unraveled it so we could admire it's length (i.e. past her posterior). 5th and 6th were at Royal Oaks with Alex Vejar for 5th and Mr. Hanlon for 6th. Anybody remember Ms. Greenlee in her mid-sixties gray Volvo coupe? Jesus, what a witch! She was like a combination of Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and Medusa with that black Acme whistle that she loved to blow in your ear. Royal Oaks didn't play back then with the likes of her, Mrs. Hernandez (who could melt you just with a stare), and VP Mr. Pizutti with his greatly feared paddle. On the lighter side, how about music teacher Mr. Berg, with his "sit next to me on the piano bench so I can suddenly squeeze your knee" tactic? What was THAT all about? 7th was at Torrejon Jr. High, but I never seem to see anything printed about that place, only the high school. But if you were there in '66 or '67 do you remember Vernon Lierhman (music), Leah Gerhartz (math), Neva White (social studies) and Jose in the cafeteria who always carried out the clean plastic glasses in 8 ft. high stacks....a balancing act one had to see?! I have even google-mapped my old house on Arga (near Serrano and Castellano), and the place was, as we had heard right when we left, turned into a large school. Does anyone out there have pictures of Royal Oaks before its demise? Madrid, in the '60's, was quite a flavorful city, rich with heritage, street sweepers, vendors with their carts of wares and cheap toys (which I still have) and the world's most miserable men at that time....the guardia civil. Never saw a grumpier lot in my life. The countryside and mountains, however, could be quite breathtaking, and the whole experience left an indelible mark on my memory bank. For those of you so inclined, I look forward to sharing our memories. Viva Espana! Jeff
My name is Mike Cowan and we were in Madrid twice. Lived both times in Royal Oaks. 1962-65 We lived at 200-B on the high road toward the back entrance that led out to that curvy 2 lane road that led out to Barajas Airport. 1968-71 we lived at 173-A on the low road,again toward the back entrance of The Oaks. Ran the woods all the time. My sister's name was Suzie Cowan. My dad was a chief master sergeant. Used to fish at Lake Sacedon and dad and I once got busted by the LaGuardia for trespassing on Generalisimo Franco's private hunting area. Woops. Our mistake. Had lots of friends but the names are starting to fade a bit. Tommy Pfleeger and his little sister Kelly. Susan Harris and Jeff Mont. Kenny Doctor,Marty Heraty,Lorita Brooks,Duane Rentz,Mark Winters and many others. Had to break out the 1970 yearbook to remember some of these names ! The rostro and the Fruiteria, The Aitana Hotel in downtown Madrid and going to Plaza Mayor on New Years Eve to eat the grapes at midnight. Riding the metro and tasca hopping with the parents. I thought maybe I was the only one that thought back fondly of those times. Glad to see that I am not the only one. I've always been a bit sentimental and those years are among my favorites. Those were special times for us all I think,because as different as we all were we had that common bond of being "military brats". When we learned that it was time to pack up and move on we were maybe a little sad and a little nervous about what the next stop would be like. And when you did get to that next stop and all the kids would roll up on their bikes and watch the movers unload your stuff,you couldn't wait for the bikes to get unloaded so you could pedal off with your new buds and check out the next new fort, hideout or shortcut from wherever you were at to wherever you all wanted to go. Or if you were like me,you hung your little sister's bike 20 ft up the in the big cottonwood tree in your yard so she couldn't follow you. After all... the location of the hideout had to remain a secret!
I lived in Royal Oaks 1960 to 1965 and went to school on base. To answer the primary question about Royal Oaks, a friend of mine just returned from visiting Spain. She said "Almost none of the old houses are standing and you could not tell where my house was. Madrid was beautiful still clean, except for all the graffiti (really terrible) but no litter."
I have looked at sites for La Moreleja and Encinar de los Reyes (Roaks) and can hardly believe how empty it seems. My friend said they are building very expensive houses there now. I spent most of my time at the stables riding horses. I could not believe the restrictions on teens when I came back to the states. We used to go to all night garden dances on the Alcobendas bus and walk to San Sebastion de los Reyes. The freedoms in Spain were outstanding for kids. The people were wonderful and if you tried to speak Spanish they were so pleased. You never had to worry about speaking to strangers - no one was a stranger for very long. I was lost in Madrid once and ended up invited to lunch and accompanied home.
There are lots of sites related: overseasbrats.com is great especially for brats who lived at multiple overseas bases. I didn't want to leave.
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Royal Oaks and Torrejon...ah, the memories!
